It’s 8:27 p.m. the night before Thanksgiving. My husband is peeling sweet potatoes and my feet are throbbing from standing up in the kitchen for hours. I hope I’m not speaking too soon in saying we’re in good shape for tomorrow. Here’s what’s on the menu for my very first Thanksgiving as chef: Fresh young…
Food & Drink
Baking bread
Few things evoke a more universally positive reaction than the smell of baking bread. It hits humans somewhere very basic and instinctual, comforting us. As anyone who reads this site and/or follows me on Twitter/Facebook knows, I’ve been on a bit of a baking kick lately. I’ve tried basic French bread, honey whole wheat, and…
Skills to collect
Making sugar from sugar cane. Rounding up hogs. Making clothes out of flour sacks. These are some of the skills that helped my father’s family through the Great Depression on their ranch in TX. One of my favorite things to do is ask him about those days, and hear about how self-reliant the family was,…
A refreshing view on adult refreshments
Robert Rosenthal, the former president of TBWA/Chiat Day, in an AdAge column, writes on the virtues of getting tipsy and setting aside responsibility for a little while…. “Drink responsibly.” Talk about an oxymoron. Haven’t we already got enough responsibility in our lives? Kids. Job. Clients. Decisions. Paying bills. Making deadlines. Watching your weight. Mowing the…